COLIN CHAPMAN ,54, A DESIGNER OF RACING CARS, DIES IN ENGLAND - NYTimes.com COLIN CHAPMAN ,54, A DESIGNER OF RACING CARS, DIES IN ENGLAND By MARSHALL SCHUON Published: December 17, 1982 Colin Chapman, a designer and builder of automobiles whose ideas changed the face of Grand Prix racing, died yesterday at his home in Norfolk in eastern England, apparently of a heart attack, according to the police. He was 54 years old. In addition to founding the Lotus car company, building boats and working as a consultant to other manufacturers, he has been credited with the development of a number of young drivers, including Jim Clark, Emerson Fittipaldi and Mario Andretti. Mr. Chapman was widely regarded in the industry as an engineering genius. He was particularly noted for his work with suspension systems, and he was heavily involved with development of the DeLorean sports car. His Lotus MK25, built in 1962, was the first racing car to have its engine and framework integrated with the body in what has come to be known as monocoque design.

In addition, he originated the modern ''ground effects'' race car, in which airflow under the vehicle sucks the racer to the ground, giving it extraordinary adhesion and allowing higher speeds than would otherwise be possible. 'Lived Two or Three Lives' Nigel Roebuck, Grand Prix editor of the British racing magazine Auto Sport, said Mr. Chapman ''lived two or three lives at the same time - he was a racing team manager, car designer and businessman.'' Mr. Chapman, he said, had been trying to do what some other European auto companies have done, greatly expanding their businesses by becoming consultants to other manufacturers. Mr. Chapman lacked the success of companies such as Porsche, however, and Lotus Cars Ltd. was said to be near bankruptcy. The company now produces five models in the Elite, Eclat and Esprit series, and prices range from $14,500 to $29,400. A Rolls-Royce spokesman, Reg Abbiss, said a three-year-old agreement for distribution of Lotus sports cars in this country had come to an end. ''It had become well known, that Lotus was making a strong corporate effort in conjunction with Toyota,'' he said.

''According to reports in trade magazines, a Lotus-Toyota will appear in a year or two, and it seemed natural that Lotus would use Toyota's network of dealerships.'' The De Lorean Relationship The company's 1981 accounts, released after a long delay, disclosed that Lotus had been paid for engineering work for the ill-fated attempt by John Z. De Lorean to build a new sports car in Ireland and that the funds were paid via a Swiss-based Panamanian company run by a De Lorean distributor. Mr. Chapman had denied having any interest in the Panamanian company but had been expected to be challenged on the De Lorean relationship at a stockholders' meeting. Mr. De Lorean is awaiting trial in California on cocaine charges. In the United States, Mr. Chapman's cars have been racing at Indianapolis since 1963. He was noted for the extraordinary care he devoted to reducing weight in the vehicles, and some critics considered them to be fragile. Jim Clark, who won the first two world championships for Mr.

Chapman in 1963 and 1965 and was thought by many to be the greatest driver in history, won the 500-mile Indy race in 1965. He died in a Lotus in West Germany in 1968. After the Lotus Ford brought the Indy victory home to Britain in 1965, Mr. Chapman received the Ferodo Trophy as the ''Commonwealth's most outstanding contributor to motor racing.'' In 1970, he was honored as a Commander, Order of the British Empire. Mr. Chapman, who never used his first name, Anthony, was born in Richmond, Surrey, England, in 1928. He was the son of a tavernkeeper, and he began dabbling in secondhand cars while studying aeronautical engineering at London University. When a gasoline shortage hurt his sales, Mr. Chapman turned his attention to motor sports and began converting a 1930 Austin Seven into a race car. The rebuilt auto was registered as a Lotus, the first of its line. After serving with the Royal Air Force, Mr.

Chapman joined the British Aluminum Company, started work on a second Lotus and began racing. In 1952 he founded the Lotus Engineering Company, which later diversified into manufacturing and racing. He is survived by his wife, Hazel; two daughters, Jane and Sara, and a son, Clive. Illustrations: photo of Colin Chapman Colin Chapman - Biography Colin Chapman Buy from Amazon Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman was born on 9 May, 1928 in a suburb of London. He grew up living at the Railway Hotel, Hornsey, which his father managed. One of the first significant events of Chapman's life occurred in March of 1944 when he met his future wife, Hazel Williams, at a dance. Even prior to their marriage ten years later she was to be instrumental in helping Chapman make a name for himself in racing and car building, among other things putting up the initial 25 pounds sterling to get Lotus Engineering Co., Ltd., started in 1952. Chapman seems to have been taken by fast machinery from an early age.

He learned to fly at university, and, after earning a degree in civil engineering in 1948, he was for a short time a flying officer with the RAF. Aviation was to remain a lifelong passion. When he got into car building he soon began to compete. He became determined to achieve great things as a driver. His approach to covering the financial requirements was to build a car for himself, demonstrate its qualities on the course, and then sell his innovations and services, and later copies (not always exact) of the cars themselves, to other enthusiasts in post-war England. The very first one-off he built was a modification of a 1930 Austin Seven saloon, and it was only as an afterthought that he decided to enter it in trials races. He had never even been to a motor race before. From there he was off on a tenacious hunt for loopholes in regulations that would give him an edge. Many of these were of the very small variety, and allowed him to exercise and hone his novel engineering approach to the maximum.

Early on he held a position with The British Aluminium Company and relied on long hours, volunteer help and barter arrangements (in consideration for assistance he gave to BRM with their F1 suspension design he received a converted Ford Zephyr) to keep his car building operation afloat. It was tough going even after Lotus cars became well known as winners. Chapman branched out from trials machines to sports cars achieving success at that level as well. At the end of 1954 he was able to quit his day job and devote himself entirely to Lotus Engineering and Team Lotus, the newly-formed competition arm of the business. He was also able to take on paid employees, among whom were names such as Mike Costin, Keith Duckworth and Graham Hill. Lotus Engineering built both road and competition sports cars for customers, and eventually Formula 2 and, in 1958, Formula 1 cars as well. Although single-seaters originally gave Lotus fits due to their having to adapt their fragile chassis to very high power to weight ratios, Team Lotus continued its on-track success in sports cars as Chapman continued to develop his engineering magic. Lotus cars, though intentionally built sparingly, were not gimcracks.

Chapman, above all, wanted his cars to win. Their notorious frailty was no accident. Chapman was unswerving in his devotion to minimalist design philosophy. Each part had to do as many jobs as it was possible to squeeze out of it. Although this trade-off was not always adequate, when it did pay off it was dynamite. Chapman's motivation for this approach was apparently not parsimony, but something more deeply-seated in his personality. It is tempting to relate it to his tendency to treat superficially many of the people he had dealings with, but more likely it was just a manifestation of his extraordinary talents. What Chapman left out in material substance he replaced with cleverness. It was as if automobiles were to him ephemeral things, spirits of his own creation, or rather spirits formed by the act of their creation. Their physical existence seemed to have little importance. Only their performance was meaningful. It took great urging from friends and family before, late in life, he would make even belated efforts to preserve examples of some of his historically significant machines.

Although his early cars were based on the space frame chassis (done up, as usual, better than the original), the chassis development that he is most famous for was the full monocoque that made its debut in the Lotus 25. The 25 was the first of Chapman's F1 world-beaters and carried Jim Clark to his 1963 championship. It was to be followed in due course by, among others, the 49, the 72 and the 79. The 49, a winner its first time out, popularized the engine as a stressed chassis member, and was Chapman's masterpiece and the epitome of his insistence on extreme economy of design; the 72 sported novel features such as a wedge shape, torsion bar springing and inboard brakes; and the 79 was the pinnacle of ground effects, an ingenious madness of which Chapman was, again, a major innovator. He did not, of course, conceive all of these cars by himself. Others including Duckworth and Maurice Phillippe made indispensable contributions. Chapman, in the best engineering tradition, was quick to borrow ideas from other sources including the aerospace industry.

But his finger prints were all over the design and engineering of every Lotus while he was alive. As a matter of fact, news of Chapman's untimely death was brought to Team Lotus while they were breaking in the 92 with its active suspension, the master's last great technical revolution. Colin Chapman's story remains half told until Jim Clark is brought into it. Several Lotus drivers won races only because they were in a Chapman car. But many Lotuses won races only because Clark was driving them. Chapman and Clark were an odd couple to say the least - Chapman the brilliant and charming engineer cum salesman; Clark the reserved, thoughtful farmer from the Scottish Border country, and the driver that Chapman at one time had wished to be. That they were close nonetheless was due almost certainly to the fact that each recognized the talents of the other in his particular sphere of motor racing, an enterprise they both loved. Both were known for parting with a pound reluctantly, although Chapman was significantly more sophisticated in money matters than was Clark, perhaps, as it turned out, too sophisticated for his own good (he even managed eventually to get Clark to pay his expenses from his Indianapolis expeditions out of his retainers).

Chapman showed no prescience in signing up Clark since by that time the Scotsman's abilities were becoming general knowledge. He got Clark and hung on to him because he built winning cars. The fruitful relationship between the two, probably approached only by that between Tyrrell and Stewart, was as much a result of each adapting to the other's natural shortcomings as anything else. Clark was too down-to-earth to be shined up by Chapman's hard sell, and Chapman was too savvy to be over awed by the driving ability of which Clark was justifiably, and obviously, proud. Chapman was genuinely devastated by Clark's death in 1968 in a Lotus 48 F2 car. Chapman was always considered a hardware person and not a people person. Yet some of the greatest names in racing won for him, including Clark, Hill, Rindt, Peterson, Andrett and Fittipaldi. Stirling Moss, racing for privateer Rob Walker, gave a Lotus car its first F1 victory. After Chapman's death, but while vestiges of his influence still remained with the team, Senna chalked up victories in Lotuses. Great drivers are seldom found consorting with mediocre cars.

The caliber of men who chose to drive Lotuses probably comprises the best witness to the high quality of racing machines that Chapman produced. Chapman achieved his greatest fame in the U.S. by forcing the rear-engined concept on the technologically stagnant Indianapolis 500. Dan Gurney was the one who, after seeing the Lotus 25, persuaded Chapman that Indy would be worth a look. That look revealed, to Chapman's glee, an obscene amount of money that, considering the competition, looked ripe for picking. Gurney set up a deal between Ford and Chapman, and Clark did indeed nearly take the prize on the first try in 1963 in a controversial finish. The Lotus-Ford missed again in 1964, but by its 1965 victory the majority of the cars in the field were rear-engined. There was no great pioneering in the first Lotus Indy cars, not even the engine placement since Brabham had been there and done that. The Lotus 29's combination of many 25 features plus a solid big block Ford engine was so far ahead of the traditional roadsters that it made the whole thing akin to shooting fish in a barrel.

Lotus did break new ground in 1968 with a turbine powered car. It showed such promise in that race that turbine cars were promptly banned by USAC. Not everything that Chapman touched turned to into technological gold. The Indy turbine cars had used four-wheel drive, and Chapman decreed that in 1969 so would the conventionally-powered Indy and F1 Lotuses. Alas this did not turn out well. The power train was cumbersome, the drivers complained about the common drive shaft passing through the cockpit over the top of their legs, and the cars were slow. They never competed. It is difficult to overstate the influence, in so many different ways, that Chapman had on F1 as we know it today, what might be called "Big Formula 1." At the end of 1967 Esso pulled its support for motor racing. The CSI, which at the time oversaw the sporting aspects of the FIA, recognizing the need for expanded financial opportunities for an expanding F1, withdrew the restriction on advertisements on racing cars.

Chapman was characteristically first in exploiting this opportunity, signing up Imperial Tobacco as the Team Lotus sponsor for 1968, in the process setting F1 on the road to a financial addiction to tobacco which has proved as difficult to shake as the real thing. English racing green gave way to Gold Leaf livery, and later to the stunning black and gold of the John Player Specials. There can be no argument about the monetary advantages that motor racing realized from tobacco sponsorship. It was inevitable that so much money floating around would attract attention, but curiously it was not Chapman but Lotus driver Jochen Rindt's former manager, Bernie Ecclestone, via his Formula One Constructors Association, who got control of it. Chapman did have a shot at running the money part of the F1 circus. During the great FISA-FOCA war of 1979 - 1981 a conspiracy was hatched by Jean-Marie Balestre to have Chapman replace Bernie Ecclestone as head of FOCA. It came to naught, but one both delights and shudders at the thought of what F1 might be today had this coup d'etat been carried off.

One of the casualties of the 1979-1981 unrest in the F1 world was another Chapman engineering marvel. In order to reduce chassis movement the suspensions of ground effects cars were so stiff that they were physically very hard on the driver. Enter the Lotus 86 and 88 incorporating aerodynamics and body work sprung separately from the cockpit. The 86 fell victim to the concession FOCA made in its truce with Balestre that did away with ground effects skirts. The 88 was ganged-up on and eliminated by assorted constructors and race organizers watching out for their wallets. Thereafter, ground effects itself was gradually all but legislated away. These triumphs of politics over progress was disheartening to Chapman for whom F1 had always been synonymous with the highest level of technical achievement. He seemed to lose much of his interest in the sport. Towards the end of his life Chapman, never one to shy away from a chance to make some money, became entangled in the John DeLorean scandal.

The British government welcomed the DeLorean - Chapman partnership with open arms when it offered to site the factory for DeLorean's stainless steel wonder car in depressed Belfast, to the extent of putting up 54 million pounds of financing. Unfortunately several million pounds of this never made it to Northern Ireland. Rumor had it that its ultimate destinations were the pockets of DeLorean, Chapman and others. DeLorean's arrest for allegedly dealing in a controlled substance and the simultaneous collapse of the DeLorean car business left behind a nasty mess indeed. Due to his premature passing, Chapman's real part in this sad affair has never been completely explained. Chapman tossed his cap in the air in celebration of an F1 victory for the last time at the Austrian race in 1982, which Elio De Angelis took in a squeaker from Keke Rosberg. Chapman's death from a heart attack in December of that year was shockingly sudden and a surprise to everyone who had followed his unparalleled career. Some of these were legal authorities looking into the DeLorean fiasco, but the great majority were friends and family of motor racing who knew they had lost an irreplaceable part of their sport.

Colin Chapman | The Lotus Forums The Lotus Forums CTL welcome back Indy 500 Type 56 turbine racer December 10, 2013 by Bibs Classic Team Lotus has welcomed back to its original Team Lotus workshops at Hethel the extraordinary Lotus type 56 which in 1968 so nearly won the World’s greatest race; the Indy 500. Extraordinary is the word for this wedge shaped, gas turbine powered, four wheel drive rocket ship. In 1968 Colin Chapman had already established a reputation for innovation in motorsport but, even so, the World was amazed by the type 56. The gas turbine produced ideal horsepower for the oblong shaped Indianapolis circuit. It did not need a traditional cooling radiator and … [Read more...] Colin Chapman inducted to Motorsport Hall of Fame February 26, 2013 by Bibs Colin Chapman CBE, the Lotus founder and engineer was recognised last night for his contribution to the automotive and motorsport industry at the 2013 Motor Sport Magazine Hall of Fame annual inauguration event.

The motorsport glitterati attended a star-studded evening at the prestigious Royal Opera House where this outstanding engineer and visionary that became known for his technical innovations and Formula 1 ‘firsts’ was celebrated. Driven initially by his desire for motor racing, Colin Chapman built his first racing car in 1948 in a garage belonging to his … [Read more...] Lotus Racing Needs You! November 27, 2010 by Bibs Here's your chance to shine! Lotus Racing have asked their fans to help design next years car livery. Mimicking the Team Lotus of old, they are moving from green and yellow to the famous black and gold that the team used during their very successful sponsorship with John Player Special, used from the Type 72 up to the Type 98T before Camel too over and the cars became yellow on the Type 99T.

Perhaps drawing inspiration from these iconic cars you are to download the template image from their website and get busy with Photoshop, then email your efforts to the team … [Read more...] Lotus Through The Decades November 5, 2010 by Bibs TEAM LOTUS, RACING LEGEND Driven initially by his passion for motor racing, Colin Chapman would have had no idea of the enormous impact that he and the brand he created, would have on the automotive world. Starting out as a ‘David’ in the automotive world, Lotus would defy the ‘Goliaths’ and become highly influential in both the international racing scene and the design and production of road cars; well beyond what could have been imagined by the young Chapman. Over more than 60 years in the making, Lotus has become both a class-leading manufacturer of sports … [Read more...] Colin Chapman – A Driven Man October 28, 2010 by Bibs ﻿The story of Lotus is inextricably bound up with the pioneering and hectic life of Colin Chapman.

Chapman’s record of success in F1 racing speaks for itself: from 1958 when Team Lotus entered Grand Prix racing until 1994 when the shutters finally rolled down, the team won 79 out of 491 Grands Prix, gaining seven F1 World Championships as Constructors and six Drivers’ titles. They also won the Indianapolis 500 and a string of class wins in the Le Mans 24-Hours. Like Enzo was Ferrari and Frank is Williams, Chapman was Lotus. Conceiving, designing and constructing … [Read more...] September 29, 2010 by John McGregor It seems that most people think that Tony Fernandes has a clear cut case to use the "TEAM LOTUS" name in F1 since buying Team Lotus Ventures Ltd from David Hunt. A High Court judge will decide on the matter in the near future, but here is why I think it is anything but an open and shut case.

Team Lotus Ventures Ltd (TLV) hold the trademark 2297413B "TEAM LOTUS" for "Class 35: Advertising services in Class 35, all relating to Formula One motor racing; but not including any such services relating to pre-recorded tapes". Among the many trademarks held by Group Lotus … [Read more...] Team Lotus Is Back! September 24, 2010 by Bibs Lotus Racing has today confirmed that the team will be known as Team Lotus from 2011. The migration from Lotus Racing to Team Lotus will take place over the coming months and the renamed team will be the direct successor to the iconic previous incarnation of Team Lotus when they take to the track in the 2011 FIA Formula One™ World Championship and beyond.

Tony Fernandes and Kamarudin Meranun’s Tune Group has acquired Team Lotus Ventures Ltd, the company led by David Hunt since Team Lotus was last on track, and through that agreement now has full ownership of the … [Read more...] Lotus Racing To Run With Renault Engine In 2011 September 13, 2010 by Bibs Lotus Racing have agreed in principle to end their contract with Cosworth and recent rumours linking them with Renault as their engine supplier for 2011 have been confirmed in the press. Cosworth returned to F1 in 2009 in a deal worth a reported £50m to the company so this will come as a blow however HRT and Virgin, the two other new teams in F1 are sticking with the supplier. "Cosworth has reached an agreement in principle with Lotus Racing whereby the team's Cosworth engine supply agreement will come to a conclusion at the end of the current Formula 1 season," … [Read more...] Lotus Anecdotes you may never have heard!

August 29, 2010 by Bibs Lotus has a rich and varied history spanning 62 years and in that time has had many stories of derring-do and mishaps to entertain us. Some of those stories, some of which you may never had heard before are below. Mike Kimberley (MJK) had just started at Lotus when, as part of his engineering duties, he "borrowed" Colin Chapman's Bond Bug (I'm sure you all remember the orange monstrosities). It was really a project but Colin considered it his. There was a straight road with an S-bend at the end alongside the test track and it was here that MJK decided that just … [Read more...] Dark clouds taint Lotus founder Colin Chapman - Telegraph Dark clouds taint Lotus founder Colin Chapman By Brian Stater 12:01AM GMT 14 Dec 2002 Colin Chapman is mostly remembered as the man who brought unprecedented flair to British motor racing through Lotus, the company he founded in a workshop attached to his father's pub. But now, at the 20th anniversary of his death, a rather different picture has emerged.

In place of Chapman, the inspirational engineer, we have Chapman as a liar, cheat and drug abuser who was spared a prison sentence only by the fatal heart attack he suffered, in December 1982, aged 56. In his day, Chapman earned comparisons with Enzo Ferrari as the charismatic force behind a glamorous motor racing marque. He started Lotus with a £25 loan from his fiancee and the money proved a wise investment as Lotus took 72 grand prix wins and seven world contructors' titles between 1960 and 1982. Five different drivers - including Graham Hill and Jim Clark - became world champion in the beautiful cars designed by Chapman. Distinguished by a trademark moustache, bright blue eyes and buckets of charm, Chapman had stormed into big-time racing with little money and no experience. He was probably the last team boss ever to work on his own cars in a grand prix pitlane. The legend which grew up around him is that of a quintessential British genius, relying on luck, improvisation and innovation to conquer more sophisticated opposition.

Chapman began with nothing, so built his early cars with volunteer labour, which he somehow attracted to his rudimentary workshop in the yard of the Railway Hotel in Hornsey, north London. Many of his early cars were put together pretty much free, a regiment of engineering enthusiasts queuing up to work through the night in return for little more than the opportunity to run-in a car around the North Circular. Then there was the ability to improvise. Lotus lacked any kind of wind tunnel in which to observe air flow over a new body shape, so Chapman simply strapped a colleague to the bonnet and drove him at 100mph along an airfield runway. The cynics point out that Chapman was behind the wheel, not on the bonnet, but the episode epitomised the daredevil spirit of his early years. Finally, and most contentiously, there was Chapman's ability to innovate. Throughout his career, he produced ideas which redefined the sport. Most of these involved inspired reductions to a car's weight, or improvements to its road-holding and one suspension device still in use retains the name of a "Chapman strut".

Yet a new biography, by the motor racing historian Mike Lawrence, presents a rather different portrait of this clean-cut genius. Chapman, he suggests, had the business ethics of a 1950s spiv, used dangerous drugs to maintain a crushing schedule and ruthlessly stole other men's ideas. Lawrence said: "Colin Chapman was my hero and this was by no means an easy book to write. But I feel a fuller story simply had to be told." He presents evidence that Chapman habitually plagiarised ideas from Lotus' competitors, or took the glory for the work of Lotus staff. Lawrence adds: "What shocked me most as the evidence accumulated was the coldness with which he would airbrush other people out of the story and assume the credit for their ideas. I was also pretty stunned at the extent to which he used barbiturates and amphetamines to keep himself going." Perhaps Chapman's darkest hour came in 1978, when Lotus linked up with the American tycoon John Z DeLorean to develop a stainless steel sports car, to be built in a factory funded by the British government. What the government did not know, but what Chapman certainly did, was that the project was a scam.

Around £10 million went missing. Chapman died before the full deceit unravelled but at the subsequent trial of Fred Bushell, the Lotus accountant, the judge insisted that had Chapman himself been in the dock he would have received a sentence "of at least 10 years". Yet Chapman retains his devotees, even among those who know about his darker side. Graham Arnold, a Lotus sales director in the 1960s, remains convinced of Chapman's genius and is organising a complex search of files at the Patent Office to prove it. Arnold said: "Colin was without any doubt one of the finest engineers ever produced by this country. He's way up there in the company of Brunel. "He had the most amazing, restless mind and he turned it to all sorts of problems. There was nothing that he felt was beyond him. For example, for a long period Colin had a painful condition with his ears and he's known to have filed patents, which I hope to retrieve, for devices which controlled the acceleration and deceleration of things like lifts and railway locomotives, where he always had discomfort." So why might these "lost patents" prove difficult to find? Arnold laughs.

"Because you can be sure they would have been filed in such a way they would prove of much greater benefit to Colin than the Inland Revenue." Colin Chapman: Wayward Genius by Mike Lawrence (Breedon Books, £19.99) CGA Race Engineering Contact Welcome to CGA Race Engineering – Historic racing car preparation and racing team. CGA Race Engineering was founded by Colin Bennett; Colin has been in the motorsport business for over 40 years; including working with Colin Chapman and Gold Leaf Team Lotus in the 1960’s and 70’s. Since then, Colin and the business have been involved in motor racing at many levels including, amongst others, Indianapolis 500, F3000 and Le Mans. In recent years the team’s skill and experience has turned to historic racing car preparation with great success; restoring the ex-Michael Schumacher Benetton 191, preparing FIA Historic Formula One cars such as the ex-Ronnie Peterson March 761 and Lotus 72 alongside Group C Racing Nissans, Historic F2 cars and racing cars with significant histories and value.

We have won many races and Championships including the 2010 European Historic Formula 2 Championship and placing second in the Group C Racing Series in 2011. If you are looking for the right racing team to restore, prepare, maintain, run and win with your historic racing car(s) then please speak to us at CGA. Video Colin Chapman Early Beginnings From simple beginnings in Hornsey, North London in 1947, Colin Chapman went on to build the world-famous, multi-million pound Lotus organisation. In so doing, he left an indelible mark on the sports car industry within the UK and estabished himself as "the greatest, most creative designer of racing cars in the history of motor racing", to quote Jackie Stewart. As the annotation to the photo on the left of Ketteringham Hall (the headquarters of Team Lotus, the Grand Prix team) shows, Lotus went on to win the Formula 1 World Constructors Championship 7 times and the Drivers Championship 6 times. They also took on the americans in "their own backyard" and won the Indianpolis 500 in 1965.

Colin's main desire was always to take on the scarlet Ferraris on the race track and break their domination of the sport. As, the record shows, this he certainly did during the sixties and, at the peak of their superiority in the seventies, Lotus had amalgamated more Grand Prix victories than any other team: this was now a world-class team, that was second to none. Lotus had become the team by which all others were measured on the track and on the road, their sports cars, such as the Elan, Elite and Esprit, had elevated te marque from it's to self-build heritage, to the supercar league. The name "Lotus" would now forever be synomomous with superb handling and exotic performance. Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman, was born of ordinary parents, in London on May 19, 1928. His youth was filled with typical English boyhood antics and schooling. The design drawing of a "littl stik man"on the right, which was produced by Colin at the tender age of 5 1/2 years, showed the promise of great things to come!

In later years his imagination and innovation, would combine with his perfectionism and powers of motivation to push the frontiers of vehicle technology, at a time when the British motor industry was boged down with technical conservatism. By the age of 17 he was entering the University College of London University to study engineering. It was soon after entering the London University, that he and Colin Dare began a second hand car sales business. The year being 1946 cars were scarce and the business boomed. Often lectures were skipped in order that "deals" could be secured. The business expanded into modifying and improving the cars before selling them, which brought greater profits. Unfortunately, this booming business was not to last as in 1947 the British government did away with the basic petrol rationing and the demand for second hand vehicles crashed. The remnaint though, an old 1937 Austin 7, was to be the basis of the first Lotus, the Mark 1. Only the chassis and drivetrain were retained as Colin fashioned a totally new body and modified the engine and suspension. The Austin was modified to be a trials car, using many of the construction techniques that Colin had learned while studying aircraft construction at school.

Colin continued to develop and modify the Mark 1, including a innovative splitting and hinging of the front beam axle to provide independent front suspension. However, in the Spring of 1947 work on the Mark 1 tapered off to benefit of Colin's studies and by the end of the year Colin Chapman had completed his engineering studies and officially attained B.Sc.(Eng). Work had only begun on the new car when Colin enrolled in military service in the RAF, where he learned to fly and also became even more intrigued by airplanes and their engineering. This was to prove an important influence for this budding engineer, which would manifest itself gloriously on the Formula 1 circuits of the world, in many different forms. Aerodynamics was an area that had received little scrutiny from the leading teams, other than the provision of "stream-lined" bodies. A Mark 2 car was completed by late 1948 and it's speed and performance further enthused Colin's interest in motor sport. In September of 1949 Colin's term with the RAF was completed and he returned to civilian life. The Mark 2 was sold to Mike Lawson, the uncle of Sterling Moss, and Mike proved very successful with it.

In the Autumn a new formula was introduced for circuit racing, 750cc Formula racing and by January of 1951 work on the Lotus Mark 3, a car designed to meet the requirements of this new formula, had begun. It was this third Lotus that really caught the eyes of the racing community. With Colin in the driver's seat, the Lotus Mark 3 consistently won races- it was clearly the fastest of the 750cc Formula. The Mark 3 showed all of the now classic signs of the future Lotus. It was light, lean, innovative. It did not merely win, it pounded the competition into submission. It forced the racing governing bodies to regulate specifically against the Mark 3 to preserve equality. This was, as was to be seen in the future, only the first of such occasions where rules were written with Lotus specifically in mind. The die was set, the racing community had been put on it's ear! Mike Lawson returned to Colin ready to purchase a faster Lotus and by the end of 1951 it was apparent that othercompetitors were interested and inquiries began to flow into Lotus about obtaining copies of this winning car.

Accordingly, the Lotus Engineering Company officially came into being on January 1st 1952, located in Colin's father's building in Hornsey. Copies of the Mark 3 were built and a Mark 4 design was put into motion. A Mark 5 was shelved to design and build products for the components market. With the Mark 6, Chapman used his engineering knowledge to design a robust multi-tubular body-frame, which was light, yet extremely rigid. There was no room for excess, every tube had a specific purpose, resulting in a space frame chassis which weighed only 55 pounds, and when panels and mounting brackets were added the full up weight tipped only 90 pounds! By late 1953 the Mark 8 was introduced and the level of orders meant that Colin was no longer able to hold down two jobs: he resigned from technical sales with the British Aluminum Company and became full time leader of the budding Lotus company. 1956 Vanwall 1957 the Mark 7, which enjoyed universal approval as the renouned Lotus 7 and still was verified by the list of customers lined up to purchase copies of the winning car.

The next few years were spent pursuing victories at Le Mans, the cars; the Mark 9, the Lotus Eleven and the Lotus 14, Elite. The Sixties By 1960 the Le Mans victories were in hand and Chapman's interests in racing turned from Sports Racer vehicles to open wheeled race cars, Formula Junior, Indianapolis Cars and the World Series of racing; Formula One, an arena dominated by the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes, Porsche, Cooper and BRM. From 1960 to 1981, Chapman and Lotus became the most successful Formula One Team, posting championship after championship. Establishing a tradition of winning by a total commitment to creating a superior performing car through superior engineering and innovation. It was a dedication to superior engineering and innovation that took Chapman and Lotus to an Indianapolis victory in 1965 and fielding the infamous STP Turbine cars and 4 wheel drive cars of the late 60's. It was this same dedication that created the first successful full monocoque racing chassis, the first successful fully stressed engine for racing, and the first full composite chassis for a road car.

It was the Chapman connection that brought Ford's money to the small firm of Cosworth, operated by two old employees, Frank Costin and Keith Duckworth. From this came the most successful Formula One engine in history, the Cosworth Ford DFV. The first win came with Jim Clark at the 1967 Dutch Grand Prix. It was the maiden race for the sleek, ultra-light Lotus 49 powered by the Cosworth Ford in its first race. The competition was overwhelmed by the superior chassis and engine and victory was Clark's. The Seventies In 1978 Chapman unveiled the Lotus 79 Formula One race car and again the rule books would have to be rewritten as would history. The Lotus 79 used bodywork on the underside that effectively created a venturi, thus as the air rushed under the car the air was forced to accelerate and the pressure of the air was lowered dramatically. The result was down-force never before imaginable, in excess of 2000 pounds of down-force was created in addition to Lotus 79's 1250 pound weight. The Lotus 79 was said to corner as if truly on rails and it took six Grand Prix wins in 1978.

The impact upon racing created by ground effects cars were so astounding that by the end of 1981 the ground effects Formula One cars were banned and replaced with flat bottom cars in 1982. ... Meanwhile, Chapman's R & D team at Ketteringham Hall came upwith Lotus's way of tackling what had now evolved into a totally stupid set of technical regulations. Skirted Grand Prix cars may well have thrown the technical initiative to the innovative British constructors but, properly engineered, they at least had predictable handling characteristics and their suspensions, though regarded as stiff by the standards of their time, were not in the same league as the rock-hard breed of F 1 machines which were spawned by the fIxed-skirt rules. FISA may have known what it was seeking to achieve, but the route by which it set out to reduce cornering spee ds was strewn with technical problems. Lotus's answer was the twin-chassis type 86, originally tested at the end of 1980 during the last season of the sliding-skIrt regulations.

WInd-tunnel testing had convinced Chapman's team that, instead of having separate sliding skirts moving up and down relative to the bodywork, it would be better to spring-mount the body structure atop the wheel uprights, thereby transmitting the aerodynamic loadings directly to the suspension and tyres, while also incorporating a conventionally sprung chassis riding free within the movable aerodynamic body This brilliant concept killed two birds with one stone, stabilising the under-car aerodynamics while at the same time precluding the driver from the physical battering which was now an inevitable byproduct of ultra-stiff suspension.This was a fundamentally intelligent and aerodynamically sound means of blending together the requirements of consistent and predictable performance with driver comfort and security but FISA got wind of what Chapman was up to and issued yet another ofits 'rule clari~lcations' to Article 3, clause 7. ~ny speci~lc part of the car influencing its aerodynamic performance - must comply with the rules relating to bodywork; must be rigidly secured to the entirely sprung part of the car (rigidly means not having any degree of freedom); and must remain immobile in relation to the sprung part of the car.

, The Lotus boss remained absolutely convinced that the sport's governing body had no business or power interfering with the clause imposing rule stability for two years - a clause which FISA itselfhad only just had a major hand in enacting - and pressed on with the construction of a ~lxed-skirt version ofthe 86, now based round a carbon/Kevlar monocoque rather than the 86's aluminium honeycomb chassis. He presented itjust before the start of the season.The new type 88 would, in Chapman's view, solve the problem ofpitchsensitivity which had dogged his ground-effect efforts with the type 80 two years earlier. Resisting such pitch had meant stiffening springs to the point where half the suspension movement was coming from deflection within the rocker arms, a test of the car's structure which was as unnecessary as it was unsatisfactory not to mention the pounding received by the luckless , driver. Anyway to cut a long story short, a succession of protests and unfavourable edicts from FISA spelt the downfall ofthe 'twin-chassis' Lotus before it was ever permitted to take part in a race.

Technical ingenuity had been stifled simply because the rest ofthe herd was ag'in it.Throughout 1981 and into 1982 spring rates gradually c1imbed to beyond the 3000-lb mark as designers fought to control the behaviour of their fixed skirts, these efforts quickly producing a breed of 200 mph go-karts from which bruised and battered drive rs emerged periodically to recount horri~lc tales of close shaves which their dif~lcult-to-control cars were unable to avoid. Constructors Championships: 7 (1963, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1978) Drivers Championships: 6 ( Fastest Laps: 71 When Chapman died in December of 1981, from a massive heart attack, no one questioned the indelible influence that Chapman and his small English motor car company had upon the engineering and manufacture of automobiles both for racing and for street. Every single automobile on the race track and on the road today owes some part of its design and engineering to Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman and his company, Lotus.

What is missed by racing enthusiasts around the world is the sight of Colin Chapman's black cap sailing across the track as one of his Formula One race cars streaked across the finish line at one of the 78 Grand Prix races won by Lotus. What is missed by automobile enthusiasts around the world is the feeling of great anticipation of what the brilliant mind of Colin Chapman would bring to the roadways for them to savor and enjoy. And, yet the Lotus Legend lives within the walls of the Lotus factory in Hethel, England and with the current Formula One Lotus race cars. It has been said by many that Colin Chapman accomplished more to influence the modern automobile than any other human. Quite a statement considering the greats who are Chapman's peers. It is enough to say that the automotive engineering and automobiles are in their present state of development due to Colin Chapman: innovator, genius, engineer, driver, founder, enthusiast. Hopefully, after reading this dissertation on the life of Colin Chapman, you will be able to explain the letters that appear on the famous Lotus badge ..........they are the initials of the name of the great innovator himself: A sually S erious!!!

However, the most plausible explanation I have heard, is that one of Colin's very early projects started life as a car auction purchase, complete with a "lot" number. However, the car was sold-as-seen because it was unservicable or "u/s", as it is often abbreviated. After collection, the car apparently still carried the auction card, which read "LOT U/S" .......... and the rest is history!! For more information on Colin Chapman, you might want to read: Gerard ('Jabby') Crombac, Colin Chapman, The Man and his Cars, Patrick Staphens Ltd, 1986 Hugh haskell, Colin Chapman, Lotus Engineering, Osprey Automotive, 1993 Anthony Pritchard, Lotus: All the Cars, Aston Publications, 1992 Heritage | Lotus Cars Lotus on Facebook Lotus on Twitter Lotus on Instagram Lotus on YouTube Heritage Driven initially by his passion for motor racing, Colin Chapman would have had no idea of the enormous impact that he and the brand he created, would have on the automotive world...

Over more than 60 years in the making, Lotus has become both a class-leading manufacturer of sports cars and a globally respected automotive engineering consultancy, working with many of the world’s most prestigious car manufacturers. From humble beginnings, when Chapman built his first trials car in a lock-up in 1948, motorsport was the driving force; indeed it was Chapman’s desire to create competitive race cars that drove him to produce road cars in order to finance his racing ambitions! The motorsport influence has continued throughout the company’s evolution and led to a continuous thread of innovation and pioneering FIRSTs, as can be seen from this brief history. The link between Lotus race cars and road cars is a critical and powerful one. It was obviously a winning tactic, because the racing team Chapman formed, Team Lotus, went on to win seven Formula One Constructors’ Championships and six Drivers’ Championship titles, and a string of other titles and conquests. The motorsport heritage remains at the heart of Lotus today and the strategic link to developing cars which offer superlative handling and performance for driving on the race track or on the road.

The following history pages demonstrate that innovation and a single-minded desire to produce the best sports cars in the world, has always been in Lotus’ blood. Social Lotus The Secret Life of Colin Chapman - Motorsport Retro The Secret Life of Colin Chapman Submitted by Seth Reinhardt on February 18, 2010 The Lotus design philosophy has always held a special place in my heart. Much of the excitement in driving comes from the push and pull of physics as you test your skill and bravery against the meanderings of a great track or stretch of road. It is there, dancing on the raggedy edge of the perfect line, that the Lotus philosophy of light, agile cars excels. “Any damn fool can build a bridge, that won’t fall down. But it takes a man of much greater skill to build a bridge that JUST won’t fall down” – Keith Botsford on Chapman’s design philosophy The British motor industry after World War Two was stagnant, lacking in innovation and entrepreneurial vision. Likewise, British racing was in a sorry state, the prospect of a British champion an all but impossible dream. Colin Chapman was finishing up his education, racing cars he designed and gearing up to turn motor racing on its head.

The Secret Life of Colin Chapman is a riveting 5 part Channel 4 documentary; a no holds barred expose on the enigmatic rogue. It covers the rise of Chapman as a driver, designer and entrepreneur, charting his immeasurable contribution to the British automotive industry and sporting legacy. His achievements are contrasted against concerns over the safety of his cars, his sportsmanship and the legality of his business practices. No stone is left unturned and the documentary goes into fascinating detail investigating Chapman’s personal character, his relationship with Jim Clark , the deaths of his hero racing drivers, money, parties and the DeLorean controversy that stained his final days. Most interesting are the frank and uncensored accounts from friends, co-workers and journalists who knew him best. “He was a genius and he was a rogue. Definitely a genius and allegedly a rogue” – Graham Arnold, Lotus Sales Director 1963 – 1981 I won’t spoil the details for you. Suffice it to say that The Secret Life of Colin Chapman is definitely worth a watch.

With Lotus back on the scene, it serves as an incredibly frank reminder of what Chapman was really like and what it took for him, or even what it cost him, to achieve such staggering success. Colin Chapman (1928 - 1982) - Find A Grave Memorial Death: Nov. 16, 1982 Motor racing driver, engineer and race car constructor, sportscar manufacturer. Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman was born in Richmond,London, the son of Stan and Mary Chapman who owned the Railway Hotel in Hornsey, North London. He studied engineering at university where he also learned to fly. He joined the RAF as a pilot. When he left the RAF he became a member of the 750 Motor Club, a group of enthusiastic engineers who liked to build their own cars. His first home-built car was based on a 1930 Austin Seven and he drove it in trials as well as circuit racing. By then he was working at the British Aluminium Company where his interest in aerodynamics grew. By 1952 he had left to start his own company Lotus Engineering Company to start to build alloy-bodied copies of his racing cars.

A long series of cars were then produced over the years, each model being more innovative than the last and Chapman gained a tremendous reputation as a clever designer as well as the feiry and emotion boss of Team Lotus. The first Lotus victory was at the Monaco GP in 1960 when Stirling Moss beat the dominant Ferraris, followed by the US GP the following year when Innes Ireland won for Team Lotus. World Champion Jim Clark was a person favourite of his, and won the World Championship in 1963 and 1965. In 1970 Jochen Rindt lost his life in a Lotus 72 but became the only posthumous World Champion. Further World Championships came the teams way in the 70s when Chapman developed ground effect cars and active suspension. He became involved in the John Delorean scandle when millions of pounds of government money went missing but died unexpectedly of a heart attack, aged only 54yrs, before he could appear in court. His only appearance as a driver in F1 was at the 1956 French GP when he took the place of another Vanwall driver who had had to drop out.

Although he recorded 5th fastest in practice, his car experienced brake problems and unfortunately rammed team mate Hawthorn. Only one car could be repaired in time so Chapman was unable to race.

Question: Which motor racing team was created by Colin Chapman?
Answer: LOTUS